Japan women's national football team

Japan women's national football team
The , or nicknamed Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン), represents Japan in women's association football and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA). The only country to win every FIFA competition and the most successful women's national team in the Asian Football Confederation, its highest ranking in the FIFA Women's World Rankings is 3rd, achieved in December 2011.
Nadeshiko Japan defeated the United States in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, thus claiming their first FIFA Women's World Cup title, becoming the first Asian team to do so and only the fourth women's world champions. It won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the only Asian team to have three combined medals from international championships. It also won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cups, the 2010 and 2018 Asian Games, and the 2008, 2010, and 2019 EAFF Football Championships.
History
1970s and 1980s
During the 1970s, the number of women football players and teams increased in Japan, and teams made up regional leagues in various parts of Japan. In 1977, a team representing Japan participated in its first international tournament, the 1977 AFC Women's Championship. But this team was not actually a national team, since the Japan Football Association dispatched a club team, FC Jinnan as its representative. In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held. In 1981, the Japan Football Association formed the first national team for the 1981 AFC Women's Championship and Seiki Ichihara managed as the first Japan national team manager. The first match against Chinese Taipei on 7 June at this tournament was the first match for a Japan national team. In 1984, a national team was gathered for the first time in three years for a China expedition, with Takao Orii managing the squad.
In January 1986, Ryohei Suzuki became the first full-time manager for the national team. In December, Japan won 2nd place at the 1986 AFC Women's Championship. In 1989, the "Japan Women's Football League" (abbreviated to "L. League") was established, and the women's national team qualified for the "1991 FIFA Women's World Cup" in China.
Verge of decline
Japan women's national football team attended various championship tournaments such as the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup which had made the national team and the L.League very popular. However, in 1999, Japan failed to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, and along with economic stagnation (Lost Decade) this helped cause the withdrawal of a series of teams from the L. League. Japanese women's football was on the verge of decline.
Regeneration
In August 2002, the Japan Football Association appointed Eiji Ueda, who had been coach for the Macau national football team, as the new head coach. Officials expected a revitalization of women's football and planned a team reorganization, aiming for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team at first went through a losing streak, but Ueda gradually improved the team, and it eventually gained wide support in Japan. In particular, a game against Korea DPR, which decided who would participate in the 2004 Olympics, not only made fans rush to the National Stadium but also was widely watched on TV.
Following the increase in public interest in women's football in Japan, the JFA organized a public contest to select a nickname for the team. "Nadeshiko Japan" was chosen from among about 2,700 entries and was announced on 7 July 2004. "Nadeshiko", a kind of dianthus, comes from the phrase "Yamato Nadeshiko" (大和撫子, "ideal Japanese woman").
2003 and 2007 World Cup
Japan was matched with Germany, Canada and Argentina for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Beginning with a 6–0 thrashing of newcomer Argentina, Japan subsequently fell to a 0–3 defeat to the eventual champions Germany, followed by a loss of 1–3 to Canada, the team that ultimately finished 4th.
In the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup held in China, they again faced Germany and Argentina, with England making up the group. They started with a 2–2 draw against England, before beating Argentina 1–0. A 0-2 defeat to reigning champion Germany again eliminated Japan from the group stage.
Golden Period (2011–2015)
2011 World Cup
Japan qualified for the finals by finishing third in the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup. After finishing second in their group behind England, Japan beat two-time defending champion and host nation Germany 1–0 in the quarterfinals, before easily defeating Sweden 3–1 to reach the final.
After the final game finished 2–2 after extra time, Japan beat the United States 3–1 in a penalty shootout, becoming the first Asian team to win the FIFA Women's World Cup, and the first Asian team to win a senior FIFA title. It came right after men's team won the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, marked their most successful year in Japanese football.
2012 Summer Olympics
Japan qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics by finishing first in the Asian qualifier in September 2011, only 6 weeks after winning the Women's World Cup. At the Olympics, after finishing second in their group behind Sweden, Nadeshiko Japan defeated Brazil 2–0 in the quarterfinals, followed by a 2–1 victory over France, whom Nadeshiko had lost to in a friendly match right before the Olympics, to reach the final.
In a rematch of the World Cup final, Japan was defeated in the Olympic final by a score of 1–2 against the United States, allowing two goals to Carli Lloyd in the 8th and 54th minutes. Yūki Ōgimi scored the lone goal for Japan.
The Japan Football Association (JFA) was accused of sexism, after flying the men's Olympic team on business class and the women's team on economy class.
2014 Asian Cup
Despite having won a FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011, Japan entered the 2014 Asian Cup having never previously won the tournament. They were drawn with Asia's Queen Australia, host Vietnam and newcomer Jordan. Their first match in the group stage of the tournament resulted in a 2–2 draw against the defending champion Australia. Also in the group stage, Japan upset host Vietnam by a 4–0 win before defeating Jordan with a 7–0 win to finish first with a higher goal difference.
In the semi-final, Japan beat eight-time champions China 2–1 after 120'. In the final, they met Australia once again and successfully earned a 1–0 win with Azusa Iwashimizu's goal. This marked the first time for Japan to become "Queen of Asia". They became the first Asian team to subsequently win both the FIFA Women's World Cup and AFC Women's Asian Cup. Because of their top placement in the tournament, Japan, Australia, China, South Korea and newcomer Thailand secured their spot at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup to be played in Canada the following year.
2015 World Cup
Japan, then fourth in the world, was drawn into Group C for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, with tournament debutants Ecuador, Switzerland, and Cameroon. Japan won all three games, securing passage into the Round of 16, where they drew yet another tournament debutant in the Netherlands. Saori Ariyoshi and Mizuho Sakaguchi scored goals for Japan, and they ultimately survived a couple of nervy moments to get into the quarterfinals. Against Australia, Japan once again used their technical possession game to frustrate The Matildas and negate their speed. Mana Iwabuchi notched the only goal of the game three minutes from time to send Japan to the semifinals.
Against England in the semifinals, Nadeshiko Japan was able to survive against the tenacious Lionesses, as the two teams traded goals from the penalty spot (Aya Miyama for Japan, Fara Williams for England). Deadlocked from the 40th minute on, Japan got a truly fortunate break as English centre back Laura Bassett, in trying to clear out a Japan cross, ended up scoring an own-goal at the death. This set up a rematch with the United States from the 2011 Women's World Cup.
Unfortunately for Japan, the Americans came out flying and scored four goals in the first 16 minutes of the match, with American midfielder Carli Lloyd scoring a hat trick in the process. Yuki Ogimi brought Japan one back in the 27th minute, and an own goal from Julie Johnston halved the American lead, but Tobin Heath put the final touch on the United States' third Women's World Cup victory.
Brief decline (2016–2021)
2019 World Cup
While Japan remains on a title and a runners-up spot at the last two editions of the World Cup as well as a runner-up spot at the 2012 Olympics, it failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics while the World Cup 2019 sees the country of the Rising Sun being knocked out pretty quickly. Nadeshiko Japan, who no longer benefit from the surprise effect unlike previous tournaments, passed the first round without glory, with a narrow victory over Scotland (2–1), a goalless draw against Argentina (0–0) as well as a defeat (0–2) against England in the last group match for first place in group D. The Japanese find the Netherlands at the same stage of the competition as there is 4 years old, but the confrontation this time turns to the advantage of the Oranje who take their revenge and eliminate Japan by the same score by which they had lost in 2015 (1–2).
Olympic Games in 2021 at home
Japan is encountering the same difficulties during the 2020 Olympic Games organized at home and postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In front of their public, Japan passed the first round with difficulty, with a victory snatched in extremis on the edge of the last quarter of an hour of the game on the last day against Chile (1–0) to finish among the 2 best 3rd in the group, having had a few scares with a header from the Chilean Francisca Lara having rebounded on the goal line without crossing it just after hitting the bar, and this shortly before the saving Japanese goal. Japan, which had in the meantime struggled against the other top names in the group (1–1 draw against Canada after being behind and missing a penalty, 0–1 defeat against Great Britain), confirms its difficulties against to the big teams like this first round and the 2019 World Cup by falling in the next round against Sweden (1–3).
2023 World Cup
Japan finished first in Group C with Spain, Zambia and Costa Rica, winning all three group games, scoring 11 goals and conceded none. Japan's technical mastery made a strong impression in particular in her 4-0 victory against Spain, the eventual champion. That was a landmark match that broke long-held FIFA records. Japan women's 23% of possession is the lowest for a winning side at the FIFA Women's World Cup since 2011. This is often compared to Japan 2-1 Spain in 2022 FIFA World Cup Group E, which Japan's 18% of possession is the lowest for a winning side at the FIFA World Cup since 1966. Match statistics reflected Japan women was more incisive and efficient, with only 23% possession, their expected goal (xG) was 0.9 vs 0.7, shots attempted were 7 vs 10, shots on target were 5 vs 2, and goals scored were 4 vs 0.
In the knockout stage, Nadeshiko Japan beat Norway 3–1 and advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015, where they would face another Scandinavian opponent, Sweden. Despite being the favorite, Japan was unable to control the game the way they did against Norway and would fall to Sweden, just as they had 2 years earlier at the Tokyo Olympics. Nadeshiko Japan found themselves trailing by 2 goals to nothing at halftime, and Honoka Hayashi's goal in the 87th minute followed by a missed penalty, unlike the Swedes who have scored their second goal from the penalty spot.
Team image
Nicknames
The Japan women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Nadeshiko Japan".
Home stadium
Japan play its home matches among various stadiums, in rotation, around the country.
Rivalries
South Korea
The Japan and South Korea national football teams are sporting rivals.
Australia
The Japan and Australia national soccer teams are AFC's rivals.
United States
The Japan and United States are sporting rivals.
Overall competitive record
All results list Japan goal tally first.
Goal scorers are sorted alphabetically.
Colors gold, silver, and bronze indicate first-, second-, and third-place finishes.
Overall record
source:
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Historical results (2010–present) – JFA.jp
Legend
2022
Fixtures & Results (2022), JFA.jp
2023
Fixtures & Results (2023), JFA.jp
All-time results
The following table shows Japan women's all-time international record, correct as of 29 October 2023.
Source: Worldfootball.net
Head-to-head record
, after the match against .
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
Players & Staffs, JFA.jp
Manager history
, after the match against .
Players
Current squad
The following 22 players were named to the squad for the 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Second round.
Caps and goals are correct as of 29 October 2023 after match against .
(Players are listed within position group by order of kit number, caps, goals, and then alphabetically)
Recent call-ups
The following players have been named to the squad in the past 12 months.
(Players are listed within position group by order of latest call-up, caps, goals, and then alphabetically)
Players & Staffs, JFA.jp
Previous squads
Bold indicates winning squads
FIFA Women's World Cup
1991 FIFA Women's World Cup
1995 FIFA Women's World Cup
1999 FIFA Women's World Cup
2003 FIFA Women's World Cup
2007 FIFA Women's World Cup
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
Olympic Games
1996 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics
2020 Summer Olympics
AFC Women's Asian Cup
2014 Women's AFC Asian Cup
2018 Women's AFC Asian Cup
2022 Women's AFC Asian Cup
Asian Games
1990 Asian Games
1994 Asian Games
1998 Asian Games
2002 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
2010 Asian Games
2014 Asian Games
2018 Asian Games
2022 Asian Games
EAFF E-1 Football Championship
2015 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup
2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
Captains
Bold indicates current captain
Yumi Obe (?–2004)
Hiromi Ikeda (2004–2008)
Homare Sawa (2008–2012)
Aya Miyama (2012–2016)
Saki Kumagai (2016–present)
Records
*Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
Most capped players
Top goalscorers
Honours
Intercontinental
FIFA Women's World Cup
Champions: 2011
Runners-up: 2015
Olympic Games
Runners-up: 2012
Continental
AFC Women's Asian Cup
Champions: 2014, 2018
Runners-up: 1986, 1991, 1995, 2001
Asian Games
Champions: 2010, 2018, 2022
Runners-up: 1990, 1994, 2006, 2014
Regional
EAFF E-1 Football Championship
Champions: 2008, 2010, 2019, 2022
Runners-up: 2013, 2017
Other tournaments
Algarve Cup
Runners-up: 2012, 2014
Competitive record
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
FIFA Women's World Cup
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Olympic Games
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
AFC Women's Asian Cup
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
A Japanese representative side FC Jinnan representing Japan participated in the 1977 AFC Women's Championship.
Asian Games
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
The 2022 edition was re-scheduled to September–October 2023; as a result, Japan will send a B team with a separate coaching staff while the senior team competes in its regularly scheduled matches in the September 2023 FIFA international window.
EAFF E-1 Football Championship
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Algarve Cup
The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and longest-running women's international football events and has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup."
Cyprus Women's Cup
SheBelieves Cup
The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football hosted in the United States.
Tournament of Nations
The Tournament of Nations was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer in non-World Cup and non-Olympic years hosted by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in several American cities. The inaugural tournament was held in 2017.
The 2021 edition would have been a pre-Olympics tournament due to the rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics. On May 6, 2021, however, the USSF announced that it would no longer hold Tournament of Nations because recent changes in international windows by FIFA made a round-robin tournament unfeasible.
See also
National teams
Men's
Japan national football team
Japan national under-23 football team
Japan national under-20 football team
Japan national under-17 football team
Japan national futsal team
Japan national under-20 futsal team
Japan national beach soccer team
Women's
Japan women's national under-20 football team
Japan women's national under-17 football team
Japan women's national futsal team
References
External links
Official website at JFA.jp
Japan profile at FIFA.com
Japan at FIFA.com
Asian women's national association football teams
FIFA Women's World Cup-winning countries
People's Honour Award winners